‘Tired, old’ Iron County Courthouse gains new life after extensive remodel

Written by Jeff Richards
February 15, 2018
Surrounded by other county officials, Iron County Commissioner Dale Brinkerhoff prepares to cut the ribbon to mark the official reopening of the Iron County Courthouse in Parowan, Utah, Feb. 12, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

PAROWAN — The Iron County Courthouse has been given a fresh lease on life, thanks to a recently completed $3 million project to renovate its interior.

Approximately 100 people, including county officials and members of the public, attended the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house Monday afternoon celebrating the completion of the newly remodeled building, located at 68 S. 100 East in Parowan.

The newly remodeled Iron County Courthouse in Parowan, Utah, Feb. 12, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“She was a tired, old building and she needed some love,” said Mitch Berger of general contractor Zwick Construction, which oversaw the project.

Speaking to the audience just before the ribbon cutting, Berger said the first thing that struck him about the building was how cold it was inside. That has since been remedied, he said, thanks to new insulation and heating systems installed during the project, which took nearly a year to complete.

Berger also thanked the many subcontractors for the work they did, including new electrical wiring, lighting systems, plumbing and technological upgrades.

Berger said the renovations would help the concrete and brick building, which dates to 1974, easily double its lifespan and see another 40-50 years of use.

Other speakers included Iron County Commissioners Dale Brinkerhoff and Mike Bleak, who both spoke about the historic nature of the building and how renovations were done at a fraction of the expense of a new structure.

A crowd gathers in the Iron County Commission chambers for the official ceremony celebrating the reopening of the Iron County Courthouse, Parowan, Utah, Feb. 12, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The building’s new energy efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems are also expected help save the county money on utility bills, county officials said.

Some of the funding for the $3 million project came from a $790,000 grant, with an additional $790,000 via a 2.5 percent interest rate loan through the state Community Impact Board. County funds were used for the remaining cost of the project, Iron County officials said.

Iron County Clerk Jon Whittaker said he and his staff moved back into the renovated building in late January, as did the offices of county assessor, county auditor, county recorder and county treasurer. Since January 2017, those offices had been temporarily housed in an office building in the Fiddler’s Canyon area of Cedar City while the courthouse renovation project was underway in Parowan.

In addition, the Parowan office of the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles, which handles vehicle registrations, will reopen and operate out of the assessor’s office in the Iron County Courthouse.

For additional information about Iron County offices and services affected by the move, visit the official Iron County website. 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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